Irving's Deli - Restaurant Review- Livingston, NJ

Irving's is a new classic Jewish deli, modeled after Katz's on the Lower East Side. Katz's bills itself as New York best deli since 1888. Irving's may be able to claim that title for NJ since 2007.

I've had lunch at Irving's many times and it is a winner. No place to loose weight, but you will walk away with a full happy tummy.

Located in Livingston, NJ on Route 10 just east of Okner Parkway.

Irving's has all the classic big giant overstuffed sandwiches, hand sliced Pastrami, Brisket and Corned Beef, as well as Rubens and Sloppy Joes. They have the bowls of pickles and green tomatoes. Dr. Brown's Sodas, including the hard to find Cel-Ray. I love their Pea Soup and their tasty french fries.

Reports on Chow Baby Include: "Finally, for all of you who have wished that there was a real Deli from your neighborhood in New York, in New Jersey, the answer may be Irving's on Route 10 in Livingston.

I've been there twice and have left happy.

There is no Irving. The owner hired a guy from Katz's in NY, taught everyone how to hand cut pastrami, brisket, and corned beef, modeled it after Katz's even in the decor. You get a ticket at the door, order your sandwich, get a sample as they are cutting - they give you the sample whether you tip or not, get a drink and take a seat.

The pastrami and brisket were spectacular. The corned beef very good, (though I'm partial to pastrami, if I had to choose). Really good rye, (bread didn't fall apart when confronted with moist meat.

Good Yonah Shimmel style knishes.

Enjoy." Felixnot

Felixnot's buddy "Hot Dog Lover" also reports on Chow Baby  "I've been there twice and agree with Felixnot. This is a place worth seeking out. First time I went there myself for a hot dog. Excellent 5 to a lb natural casing all beef dog grilled on a flat griddle. Second time I came with my wife. I had a pastrami sandwich, which was excellent. I rarely eat pastrami and can't really compare it to anything I remember, but it was delicious. I had part of a pastrami sandwich at Katz's about 6 years ago (again I went for the hot dogs) and remember liking it. I'd say that Irving's is in the same league. My wife had a corned beef sandwich which she liked very much, and we both sampled the brisket which was top notch as well. They serve a special brand of coffee which was the best I ever tasted. I asked the name, but forget what it was. Irving's has only been open a few months."

Rail Paul chimes in on Mouthfuls.Com

"I had lunch at Irving's Deli, a new place on Route 10 eastbound, just east of Okner Parkway. It's where the Celentano Let's Eat restaurant briefly stood.

Nice place, drawn largely from the style of Katz's and other lower east side deli shops. Concrete floors, some black and white floor tiles, lots of weathered brown wood, old pictures on the walls, etc. They hand you a ticket as you enter.

The pastrami was wonderful. Taken from a large cooking vessel in a burst of scented steam, see-through pieces of pastrami piled an inch and a half high, then stacked on a piece of mustard slathered thin rye bread. Juices dripping over the sides. $12.95

They also had long hot dogs, matzoh ball soup, several kinds of blintzs, corned beef, cheeseburgers (aaargh!), egg creams, lox, Boylan's sodas, etc. Large display of cakes at the register.

The establishment is still in soft opening, but an owner, Rose, said they've been slammed on the weekends, with an hour's wait typical. Traffic during the week is still manageable.

Each time you get something, the ticket is annotated, and you're presented with a bill stapled to your tickets. I wonder how long that will last?

They also offer sloppy joe sandwiches, those delightful triple decker sandwiches native to NJ. I didn't see any ham, but they do have tongue on the menu."

Irving's Deli 575 Mt. Pleasant Avenue 973-994-5100

Comments

[Rhonda]

We just had our first delivery from there. The Reuben was excellent as was the Pastrami. They have some 4 meat Goliath thing that's on our life-list to try at some point. Their macaroni salad, onion rings, and date-nut bread with cream cheese were also wonderful... especially for delivery - nothing was soggy & was fresh as can be. I agree with the prior comment on the rye breat, it was very good & did not fall apart as happens quite often with similar sandwiches.

Great stuff, we'll be ordering from there quite a bit!

[daveater28]

Irving's wasn't a top notch jewish eatery, though, one that can get you your fix. Many things were off about our dining experience there. 1. The wait staff seems to lack coordination. Our son's high-chair took 5 minutes - one came out, but was commandeered by a busboy who had no remorse in making us stand longer for a table he was helping that came in 3 minutes after us. The busboy walked by and smiled when i told him it was for us...pretty juvenile, but no surprise when a young 20-something is in charge of things on the floor, huh. 2. Our server then had to stop in the middle of taking our order to get our pickles/coleslaw. The busboys, too busy talking in the corner, had failed to do their initial interaction with these items, but why she stopped in the middle of our order (as my wife was in mid sentence) was curious, at best. 3. The matzoh ball soup was luke warm, and the MB itself was rather tasteless, as was the soup (It wasn't golden and rich, but pale yellow and watery). Good balance of pepper, but lacking otherwise. 4. For a place that dares compare itself with classic NYC delis, the corned beef was a pretty tough since it was cut WITH THE GRAIN, allowing the natural toughness of the cut to stand out. They go for the thick cut, so there is no way around this textural dilemma. Also curious was how extra lean costs more, a first in my 40+ years. In every other place I have ever found the classic jewish meats, the FAT CUT is extra for flavor purposes. Hmmm... 5. Like many places, IRVINGS does not have anything but brown mustard. This is no crime, but for many who enjoy different kinds of mustards/condiments, the meat gets pigeon-holed in with their already-salty mustard to create a sodium aftertaste that sticks around for days (seemingly). The management could have cared less about our marginal experience, so don't expect much when/if things are off.

Highlights included the coleslaw, the brisket - good fat marble while also being cooked until super-tender, the knish (also had a nice pepper balance while being lighter than their dense Manhattan brethren) and the easy parking. It isn't to be avoided, but IRVINGS seems like it is a place that will hold you over until you can get to a REAL jewish deli. Go because it is convenient, but not if you have to travel far and are expecting the HOLY GRAIL (or ARK OF THE COVENANT, as the case may be).

Decent, but not worth telling the grandparents in Palm Beach about....

[charles kroll]

Having grown up in East New York, Bklyn., where there was a kosher deli on every other corner, and whose grandparents had their own kosher deli (with home-cured meats) I think I know a thing or two about delis. Irving's tries to do the right thing, such as having their pastrami made for them in Brooklyn(!) and using Yonah Shimmel's knishes (which are flavorful but too dry.) The pastrami is excellent, as good as is currently available anywhere.
I can't speak for their other products, having only sampled the pastrami and knish, but it is difficult to go wrong with a place trying as hard as they. Go and enjoy.

[roger berk]

Very disappointing. How they can be called a real "kosher delicatessen" is beyong me when the pastrami, which by the way was awful, was not even "kosher", as confirmed by the manager. It was more like eating thick slices of ham, with no grain or juiciness. My beef stew was tasty but the meat was dry and tough, saved by good noodles and gravy. Soup was lukewarm and it apalls me to pay $1.95 for a Dr. Browns can of soda, as well as $1.00 extra for lean cut of meat that was horrible to begin with. Only redeeming qualities were the full sour dills (nice and crunchy) and the cole slaw. The sour tomatoes were second rate and soft. Confirming our opinion was a couple seated next to us (first time visitors also) who complained not only of the quality of the food but also how expensive it was. Our bill for 4 was $74.00 not including tip. Kinda high. I'd surely recommmend Harold's N.Y.Deli in Edison as a far superior alternative.

[Kelly]

Ahhh...great food Irving's....their desserts are delicious too! Try their 7 layer cake, it is very moist & fresh!

[JAG]

If you use a debit or credit card, be sure to check your account! I went in yesterday for a cup of matzah ball soup. Thinking it might be like Mom's I was terribly disappointed. The broth was tasteless and the matzah ball sank like an anvil. To top it off, they charged me twice! The first for the correct amount $3.95 plus tax and the second time for $106.65!

[Warren Bobrow]

I'm hoping to try their Matzo Ball soup today. If it turns out to be an anvil, I will certainly let my readers know. Until then.. a surprise may await me!
http://www.wildriverreview.com/wrratlarge/?p=2378

[Warren Bobrow]

ah.. Irvings.. What did they do right? What DID they do to that Matzo Ball? It WAS as heavy as a small stone. The inside of the Matzo Ball was cold and hard (uncooked) and the weight was a dead giveaway to the top being opened PRIOR to the their readiness. The broth was flavorless and needed much salt and pepper to bring up the flavors. This is not to say that the wait staff was as cold as the Matzo Ball in my soup.. They were wonderful.. The restaurant, crowded with lunch folks all seemed happy enough.. But with Morristown-Deli just around the corner from my house, I'll continue to go there for lunch.. Irvings'? Close, but no cigar.